Recently bought my first civic, a 98 cx hatch from an older gentleman. The owner only drove it to and from work and had records of general maintenance being performed on it every few months for the last 14 years. The car only has around 18,500 miles right now.

I really want to change the timing belt/water pump since the belt is so old, but had a question about this kit I found. The seller, dch.honda.of.lemon.grove has a kit for $200 > http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-GENUIN...2c6dbf&vxp=mtr and also a kit for $150 that does not come with a belt tensioner. I was just wondering if tensioners are prone to breaking, or if I could save $50 and get the kit without the tensioner?

Im in college right now so Im trying to save as much as a can since Ive already spent alot on tune up parts, tires/wheels, etc. Appreciate any advice you guys have and if you know of somewhere to get these parts cheaper (wanna stay OEM though) then feel free to post it here or PM me with it, thanks.

 

Replace the tensioner.

 

Agreed. The piece of mind alone is worth the extra money for a new tensioner.

 

i wouldnt worry about the tensioner. when it goes bad you will know 100% it will start to make noise.
i reuse them until that happens. never had it happen on me and i reuse them 100 times before

if you are not doing it yourself then i would be worth it to change it. make sure its all oem

 

If you're in there just change it out. Don't wait until it starts to go. It's called "preventative maintenance". You might not be as lucky as some by chancing it.

 

yeah disregard my last post. just change it

 

yea change it 4sure!!!! its not worth the risk.......TRUST ME...its jus 50 bucks dude

 

change